On becoming an American citizen

Anne W. Semmes

Published 5:34 pm, Wednesday, June 26, 2013

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It was 21 years ago when Liliana Herrera arrived in Greenwich from her native Cali, Columbia -- with her year-and-a-half daughter in tow. She could neither speak English nor get a job, though she had been an accountant in Columbia.

"When I got here," she says, "it was like another world. I was trying to communicate. I was taking ESL classes at Greenwich Continuing Education at the same time I was working as a house cleaner, then for a gas station."

She learned she had to "validate" her education in this country. "So I was working to get my GED," she says. "I had to take math and do equations in a different way. It was hard."

Liliana was learning, "Everything you want to do, you've got to study for it."

"At CCI there was a program, `Mommy and Me,'" she says, "for me and my daughter."

Instead of feeling isolated, Herrara experienced CCI trips and group activities. "The CCI community became a part of my life," she says.

After a while, the moment came, she says, when, "You're growing and learning and you say, `I want to be a citizen.'"

At CCI she found the way. "There were classes in American culture, in how to become an American citizen," she says.

After nine or 10 months of cramming, Liliana was ready to face the requisite two written tests in Bridgeport, and two interviews in Hartford. CCI was there, she recalls, to drive her there and to bring her back.

"It was like taking an SAT," she says, "There were 100 questions, just like there are now." One question she remembers in particular: "What amendment gave women the right to vote? "

She also recalls how nervous she was. "The English test takes an hour -- the American history test takes one and a half hours."

In one interview she recalls being asked why she wanted to be a citizen. "I said I wanted to vote. I wanted to be a part of this country where I've been given an opportunity to grow and learn. I don't want to be someone with a green card. I saw how my daughter was in school and how well adjusted she was and having friends -- and how these opportunities would come to her," Liliana said.

Liliana passed the test, was congratulated and welcomed to the U.S. One month later, her entire family -- her mother and two siblings had preceded her to America -- was there to see her say the Pledge of Allegiance. "There were more than 200 people there," she says. "We all recited the Pledge of Allegiance together. You give them your green card, and you sign a naturalization certificate.'

Since that eventful day 21 years ago, Liliana's family has grown. She has three children and three grandchildren. She's also an accredited preschool teacher.

For the last 11 years Liliana has been giving back at CCI -- teaching that class in citizenship that she took long ago -- in Spanish. "I teach every Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.," she says. Her students range in age from 20 to 89. "They come from Columbia, Argentina, Peru and Ecuador," she says.

Some attend for a whole year, she says. She recalls the young man who came to class who was pushing his mom to get her citizenship. "He didn't allow her to watch any soap operas," she says, "He was on top of her every day to study. She passed the test -- Boom, boom, boom! She came back to class. I tell them to come back after their interviews to share it. She was so happy."

"How do you explain the feeling of helping someone else?" Liliana reflects, "To see all these people with their goals become successful -- to be a part of that feels good. The friendship that you have with all these new citizens is unbelievable. People call me and say I remember this. They recommend others to come here. Oh my God, it's a positive good feeling. To be a part of their achieving is great. If you want a community to grow, you have to work together."

She reflected on her own experiences. "You forget what you did, but not the struggle you went through," she says. "It was a struggle -- but I love this country."

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This Sunday, at CCI's offices on East Putnam Ave., the Fourth of July is going to be celebrated a bit early. CCI Executive Director Kathy Stillson explains, "We are celebrating the more than 150 people in our CCI community who've realized their goal of obtaining American citizenship. We're celebrating the sense of community that these new citizens feel here and how CCI continues to serve them as a support community."